WATCH | No knockout but Abela edges Borg in first TV debate

If the leaders’ debate on TVM’s Xtra was a boxing match, it would have seen Robert Abela emerge victorious on points despite a tenacious performance by Alex Borg.

The Labour leader was the more confident of the two but unable to deliver the knockout blow against a Nationalist opponent, who remained focussed on his party’s offering.

With his premiership forged in the fire of a global pandemic and international turmoil, Abela could project the stronger image. Nonetheless, at times, the prime minister came across as condescending—the arrogant teacher, who knows best.

Borg held his ground, insisting his party’s proposals were not just money give-aways but part of a broader vision for the country. But he was less convincing when rebutting Abela’s claims the PN’s workings were wrong or incomplete.

Responding to a series of questions put to them by Xtra host Saviour Balzan, each leader had a flash of humanity among the more technical and political replies and rebuttals.

When asked about the concern that a record fourth term in office would render the Labour Party arrogant, Abela mentioned by name a handful of individuals, who benefitted from Cabinet decisions to finance medication and medical assistance to treat rare diseases.

“It is for people like these that we toil daily,” he said, insisting that his “team and myself will remain close to the people”.

Borg took a personal view when asked about his stance on invitro fertilisation (IVF) after having voted against pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos in 2022. He insisted that he is in favour of IVF and wanted to ensure that those couples who today still go abroad to undergo the procedure could do so in Malta. He added: “I don’t have my own biological children and I may need IVF one day in the future; how can I be against it?”

Cost of living and the fiscal forecast

In the opening round, Alex Borg insisted that the PN’s electoral programme laid down an economic vision. “It’s not just about financial benefits,” he said, before outlining several measures the PN is proposing to target the cost of living, which he described as a top concern for Maltese people.

In an immediate rebuttal, Robert Abela, fished out the European Commission’s Spring Forecast, which puts Malta among the best performing economies with its deficit and debt well within established thresholds.

“This document is the fiscal forecast, which the Opposition leader could not understand when asked by journalists, and it is the bible every EU leader has to abide by,” Abela said, before asking Borg whether he knew what the rate of inflation was. He then harped on about the positive economic results achieved by successive Labour governments.

“These positive results came about because we abandoned the politics of austerity [adopted by previous Nationalist administrations] and adopted a progressive agenda that includes energy subsidies to shield families and the economy,” Abela said.

When Borg came up next, he underscored the fact that around 100,000 people were living at risk of poverty. “Numbers look nice on paper but the Labour Party chose to introduce a wellbeing index [in its manifesto] because it realised that the quality of life has dipped,” the PN leader said.

Borg defended the pledge to remove inheritance and donation taxes, calling them an injustice the PN was willing to address. “It is social justice to remove succession taxes,” he insisted, adding that families were facing challenges when inheriting property.

Foreign workers

The PN leader then spoke about the party’s plan to control the influx of foreigners through the creation of a population authority. “Others have no plan how to tackle overpopulation [caused by the importation of foreign labour],” he hit back, mentioning that Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had projected a population of 800,000 in the near future as a result of foreign workers.

Abela hit back, insisting that the Labour Migration Policy was a response to people’s concerns and in just one year had halved the rate of increase of foreign labour. He also cast doubt on a PN proposal to introduce a pro rata contributory pension for those who had less than 10 years of paid-up NI, insisting this meant that foreigners would be eligible for a pension. It was a disingenuous move since the Labour government had started paying out an annual grant to people in this category. Nonetheless, Borg did not rebut the claim, opting instead to press home the point that the PL had no plan to address overpopulation, which he framed as a major public concern.

Undelivered projects

When asked about capital projects the Labour government has failed to deliver on—the Magħtab incinerator, the urban gardens at St Anne Street in Floriana, the Santa Venera tunnels, San Ġwann among others—Abela insisted the government delivered “the best economy, bigger tax cuts than promised, higher children’s’ allowance and better pension”.

He also mentioned the restitution of Manoel Island to public use and the White Rocks complex, which will be turned into national parks.

Abela insisted that these benefits and projects were possible because of a successful economy.

Mum on corruption

Borg was then queried about the PN’s lack of emphasis on corruption and the rule of law throughout the campaign with Borg insisting the party had a whole chapter on good governance in its electoral programme.

“The proposals on good governance were overshadowed by other proposals but whenever we needed to speak, we did,” Borg said. He then pledged that a PN government would publish the declaration of assets of ministers and their spouses, something Abela’s administration had abolished.

Borg also said a PN government would implement all recommendations made by the public inquiries into the death of Jean Paul Sofia and the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

He then took a dig at the prime minister, who had admitted meeting a fuel smuggler over plans similar to those presented by the PN on a fuel bunkering hub at Hurd’s Bank: “I will meet experts and not contrabandists.”

Costings off the mark

Abela kept pointing out what he described as the PN costings that went off the mark by millions of euros, citing the fuel hub (off the mark by €100 million), the transport plan (€900 million) and the pledge to cut income tax (€250 million). “They cannot get their sums right let alone be entrusted with running a country,” Abela insisted.

Borg explained how the prime minister was wrong on his criticism but was not assertive enough compared to the certainty Abela displayed.

The Opposition leader insisted the PN’s transport plan, of which a detailed presentation will be unveiled in the coming days, was endorsed by perit Konrad Xuereb.

“We will complete the first line by the end of the legislature. But others have no credibility on the metro after promising a fully-fledged system before the 2022 election and wasting four years to come up with a new plan that the finance minister has not endorsed,” Borg said.

He also insisted the PN’s tax cut pledge was costed at a net €130 million over and above the €160 million that would result from the PL’s parent tax changes that run until 2028. Borg added that the fuel hub project was endorsed by the Malta Maritime Forum.

Abela chimed back: “They are publishing their transport plan just 24 hours before early voting takes place on Saturday. We published our plans before the election.”

Local plan reform

On changing the local plans, which both parties have proposed, Abela insisted that the 2006 reform by the then Nationalist administration and which increased the development zones “should not be repeated”.

Abela insisted that the planning appeals process must be reformed to stop works from starting pending the outcome of an appeal but he also insisted that a maximum period be set for appeals to be settled expeditiously. He also said that a future Labour government would introduce changes to ensure that places like Manoel Island can never be built up and pledged that government land included in development zones in 2006 will not be developed.

Borg was less exhaustive but promised that a Nationalist government would introduce legal amendments to ensure any changes to ODZ boundaries would require a two-thirds parliamentary majority. “This is our commitment to ensure ODZ land is not lost capriciously,” the PN leader said.

Abela was unequivocal when asked about the Naxxar construction site foundations collapse and the illegal padel courts on Manoel Island: “I advocate for adherence to the law, whoever the person may be. It is unacceptable to have illegalities.”

Team PL vs Team PN

The PN campaign has been focussed on its leader and when queried on the talent of his team, Borg insisted he had engineers, lawyers, doctors, surgeons, accountants and “four people—Conrad Borg Manche, Charles Azzopardi, Edmond Cuschieri and Ivan Bartolo—who were Labour sympathisers but left because they felt the party had abandoned its socialist mission”.

Abela rebutted that the people had to choose between two teams: “On the one hand you have Charles Azzopardi and on the other hand you have Clyde Caruana, Ian Borg, Miriam Dalli…”

Overall, Abela won the first televised match on points, but only just. The two leaders will now perfect their jabs and uppercuts for the second and last TV debate that will be held next week as part of the Broadcasting Authority election series.

Before that, however, they will have a sparring match when they face each other in front of a crowd of business people on Monday in a debate organised by the Chamber of Commerce.